Wednesday, October 26, 2011

By Carol Pagaduan-AraulloStreetwise | BusinessWorld
The cold-blooded murder of 59-year-old Italian missionary priest, Fr.
Fausto “Pops” Tentorio, who was a champion of indigenous people’s
rights, an anti-mining campaigner and a human rights defender, jolts us
all to the reality that President Benigno Aquino III’s promise of change
is nothing but empty rhetoric aimed at deluding the people into
complacency and perpetuating the current iniquitous status quo.

Despite the posturing and loud pronouncements for peace and human
rights, the Aquino government has done nothing to fundamentally address
the real and age-old problems that drive significant numbers of our
people to protest and even take up arms against the government. Worse,
unarmed advocates and social activists are assassinated with impunity,
continuing the pattern and practice of violent suppression of legitimate
protest.

In response to resistance by rural communities, especially of
peasants and national minorities, to the land grabbing by big mining
companies, loggers, landlords and real estate property developers in
cahoots with military and civilian government officials, the Philippine
government (GPH) utilizes the same-old carrot-and-stick approach, i.e.
dole-out and counterinsurgency programs like the Conditional Cash
Transfer Program and Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan or PAMANA (Peaceful
and Resilient Communities) and Oplan Bayanihan..... MORE

“Our income as coconut farmers is only enough to cover our expenses
for a few days. To survive on the other days, we eat bananas and sweet
potatoes.”By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Misamis Oriental — Mylene Santowa, 31, and Dioselyn
Marianas, 51, are hundreds of kilometers away from one another. They
have not met in person but as coconut farmers, both share the same
problems that are rooted in landlessness and poverty.

Since 2007, Santowa has never missed a peasant caravan, a nationally
coordinated activity organized by peasant groups every October. These
gatherings, where she gets to meet other peasants who are struggling for
genuine agrarian reform, inspire her, knowing that she is not alone.

Santowa, who earns primarily from harvesting copra, said she
inherited this livelihood from her parents. The land that they have been
tilling in San Francisco, Quezon was awarded to their family only in
2007 under the condition that they would pay $11 per month for 30 years.

“But with an income of only roughly $46 every harvest season or at
least every two months, we could not afford to pay the monthly
amortization,” she told Bulatlat.com in Filipino, “We could not even
have a decent meal.”

When asked how she manages to make both ends meet, she replied, “I
also do not know how we have been surviving.” Her husband Mileton was
forced to leave their hometown to work as a cook in a small eatery in
Sampaloc, Manila. While her husband earns $70 a month as a cook, “he
still have living expenses in Manila. We are lucky if he could bring
home at least half of what he earns.”

Marianas, on the other hand, who live hundreds of kilometers away
from the province of Quezon, said she also could not imagine how their
family manages to survive day after day. They harvest copra from the
nine hectares of land that a well-off Mercado family owns in Ginoog,
Misamis Oriental. Every harvest or every three months, Marianas said
they earn only about $14.

“It is only enough to cover our expenses for a few days. To survive
on the other days, we eat bananas and sweet potatoes,” Marianas said,
adding that they also sell cassava on the side for only $0.51 per kilo.

Tersya

Their conditions, said Marianas, have worsened over the years because
of unwritten policies and practices. They have brought these issues
before the local government but it has not acted on their concerns.

In Misamis Oriental, Amihan Northern Mindanao, a women peasant
organization, said 103,258 out of the 161,599 hectares of agricultural
land are allotted for the coconut industry as of 2010. But the scale of
the industry in the region did not reflect that of the livelihood of the
people working on the ground..... MORE

Well known are the methods used by
Washington to demonize states that do not submit. As in previous
occasions with other recipients, the current disinformation operation
against Iran has the clear objective of trying to move to a new stage in
the imperialist intervention in the Middle East.

By Rui Paz *

The
United States announced the discovery of an Iranian attack being
prepared against the Saudi Arabian ambassador in Washington. But the
discredit of the biggest military power on the subject of the so-called
"fight against terrorism" is so great that not even a significant part
of European and U.S. press hides their skepticism towards the elements
presented by the White House...... MORE

Let this article serve for posterity, so
that future generations, including the children and grandchildren of
these three politicians can read these lines and judge for themselves
the difference between what this demonic axis has done in reality and
the nonsense they will spout forth in their memoirs. The bottom line is
Daddy is not a nice person.

Yes, we can just imagine it. In ten
years time, David "If I have to pay anything back, then I shall"
Cameron, Nicolas "I hate gypsies and drug addicts" Sarkozy and Barack
"Hey I do what I am told" Obama will be preparing their kids for
adulthood by advising them which Universities to go to, getting them
into the best internships and telling them what Daddy did when Daddy was
Prime Minister/President.

We can all predict the rosy-coloured
nonsense which will grace the pages of their auto-biographies and
memoirs as they pass on to the "chicken run", the lucrative after-dinner
speech circuit during which they preen themselves and glorify their
legacy, however sickening it may have been. Very often, the repression
of the truth and the tension this engenders creates imbalances in the
body which can give rise to cancers and other stress-related diseases,
as explained through the science of bio-synthesis...... MORESource: Pravda.ru.

“Ordinary people like me do not understand why our judicial system is
like this. Can it be reformed? It is difficult to accept it would take
20 years or 200 years for the case to be resolved.” By RONALYN V. OLEABulatlat.com
MANILA — Grace Morales, 35, lost a husband and a sister in a massacre
that took place on November 23, 2009 and claimed the lives of 58
individuals, 32 of whom are journalists.

Her husband Rosell of News Focus left her with three children, now
aged 13, eleven and eight. Her sister Marites Cablitas left behind three
children. “At that time, I did not know what to do. Two of my loved
ones were killed. Who should I console first, my mother-in-law, my own
children or my nieces and my nephew,” Morales told the fellows of the
Graciano Lopez Jaena Workshop at the University of the Philippines in
Diliman.

Morales, along with the other families of slain journalists, filed
cases against the suspects, members of the powerful and influential
Ampatuan clan who have been reigning in Maguindanao province. Barely a
month before the massacre marks its second year, the trial has still
been grinding slowly.

Almost two years after the Ampatuan massacre, the trial is locked up
in bail proceedings, with 48 suspects filing petitions for bail, said
lawyer Prima Quinsayas of the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists
(FFFJ). Of the 196 suspects in the carnage of 58 individuals, including
32 journalists, only two have been arraigned so far.

“Even under Aquino’s administration, we are not moving,” Quinsayas said. “So much for Aquino’s promises…”

Recently, the court granted the motion filed by lawyers of Datu Unsay
and Maguindanao mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. to present rebuttal evidence
to the opposition filed by the prosecution against Unsay’s petition for
bail.

“This is unusual. The general rule is that it is only the prosecution
that presents evidence during bail proceedings because it has to prove
the strong probability of guilt to oppose the petition,” Quinsayas said.
The defense, said Quinsayas, cited only one Supreme Court decision to
justify its petition. Quinsayas argued that the particular jurisprudence
being cited by the defense is not applicable to the circumstances of
the Ampatuan case.

In the same forum, Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III
described the recent developments in the case as “disturbing.” He said
that under the rules of court, petitions for bail should be summary and
the defense can file petitions for bail if the evidence of guilt is
weak.

“We are confident that it will be denied. The evidence against Andal
is very strong. In a surprising turn of events, the court granted the
right [of the accused] to submit rebuttal evidence,” Baraan said. “That
will delay the resolution of the case.”

“Can you imagine the court allowing all the 40 plus [suspects] to
present rebuttal evidence?” Quinsayas said. “Unfortunately, we have to
work with the rules of court. The Supreme Court is not very open to the
idea of revising the rules of court,” Quinsayas said.

Editha Tiamzon, widow of UNTV driver Daniel Tiamzon, one of the
victims of the Ampatuan massacre, said, “We find the trial very slow.
Even if hearings are held twice a week, it is as though nothing is
happening. We are not satisfied. Two years has passed and still, we see
no light.”.... MORE

DLUMAY, Sarangani — We were trekking the Lunkan Range for nearly six
hours. Exhausted and thirsty, I was desperate to reach Sitio Dlumay at
the soonest possible time. There was hardly an opportunity to crack a
joke regarding what we were going through. But while I was bravely
walking down a ravine, I noticed a woman, in her early fifties, sitting
down along the road, laughing while hitting the ground with her hand.
“What’s so funny?” I thought to myself. Well, if you are also curious why, allow me to take you back to Day 1.

My fellow writer Len phoned me on August 5, asking if I am interested
to cover a fact-finding mission in Sarangani. Upon seeing the itinerary
of the fact-finding mission, however, I was somehow reluctant to join
as it includes an 8-hour trek to reach the community that we would
visit. I thought that I might not be physically fit to endure it. Until
now, actually, I don’t know why I agreed to go.

I arrived at General Santos City on August 9, along with four other
participants. I got to hear more dreadful stories about the 8-hour trek
during the orientation. It made me even more anxious. If there was
anything that consoled me, it was the fact that I would not go through
it alone. The following morning, in a “weapon” (or big truck), our
journey to Dlumay began.

One of the three weapons passing through the Suyan River(Photo by Janess Ann J. Ellao / bulatlat.com)

Along the national highway, we took the trip in stride. We woo-ed and
wee-ed every time the weapon would bank in one direction to another.
But Maricel Salem, head teacher of Blaan Learning Community Center, or
as I fondly call Teacher Lisa, told us that we should brace ourselves as
we would be “crossing” the Suyan River in a while.
A few minutes later, I understood why. We did not cross the river. We passed through the Suyan River.
It was far from anything that I had expected. The weapon tilted
sideways as it passed on big boulders. It was almost hard to decide who
screamed the loudest: the participants or the weapon’s engine. In fact, a
few minutes later, I was too scared to photograph our trip,
entertaining thoughts that the weapon might tumble down the river or
fall sideways.

I am very sure that Sarangani’s “river highway” is a first of its
kind. Even other participants, including Kabataan Rep. Raymond Palatino,
who had visited other far-flung communities said this is also the first
time he has experienced such. Yet, it is not something that the
Sarangani province should be proud of.

I could hardly remember how the weapon reached the village proper of
Upper Suyan. All I can recall is how thankful I was that we were all
safe. Inside a classroom of Milliona Elementary School, I fell asleep
while convincing myself that I would survive the trek the following
morning..... MORE

Citing
certain unnamed forces as stoking the fire of discontent within the
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Malacañang admitted yesterday the
existence of a plot for another military uprising and that President
Aquino is reportedly keeping a keen eye on the development.

Deputy
presidential spokesman Abigail Valte confirmed reports of a brewing
coup plot amid reports of discontent among many soldiers on the way
President Aquino handled the Al-Barka and Zamboanga Sibugay attacks by
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

And in an apparent move to appease the soldiers who are unhappy with Aquino’s earlier pronouncements
taking
the side of the MILF, Malacañang is now talking tough but only against
the so-called “lawless elements” who are behind the attacks that killed
19 soldiers in Al-Barka and 10 policemen and soldiers in Zamboanga
Sibugay and supposed coddlers in the MILF, thus keeping itself in a
state of denial over the possibility that the MILF is behind the spate
of violence..... MORE

10/26/2011
Vice President Jejomar Binay
yesterday left for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to officially extend the
country’s condolences to the bereaved family of the late Crown Prince
Sultan bin Abdel Azziz al Saud.
He went as President Aquino’s representative.

“The
Crown Prince was a man of vision and many achievements. But for us, he
was a true friend of the Philippines and Filipinos,” Binay said in a
statement.

“We would like to assure His
Majesty, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Royal Family and the
people of Saudi Arabia that the government and the people of the
Philippines stand with them at this hour of their great loss,” he added..... MORE

10/26/2011
Vice President Jejomar Binay
has called on all relevant government agencies to ensure strict
enforcement of the Special Law on Counterfeit Drugs, the Food and Drug
Administration Act of 1908, and the Consumer Act to protect Filipinos
from the harmful effects of counterfeit drugs.

“Counterfeit drugs
and medicines can literally kill our people. Fake drugs cause real pain
and suffering,and the victims are hardworking Filipinos who spend
hard-earned money to buy medicine. This must not be allowed to
continue,” the Vice President said during his speech at the 1st
Philippine Anti-Counterfeiting and Piracy Summit.

Binay also
stressed the importance of protecting intellectual property rights in
bringing the country closer to its goal of economic development and
global competitiveness.

Quezon
City Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista yesterday signed into law the
controversial Socialized Housing Tax (SHT) ordinance which aims to
generate P185 million annually in the next five years to fund his
administration’s pro-poor housing program.

“This measure would be a
one big step forward in the city government’s effort to provide decent,
affordable and safe shelter to qualified informal settlers and
low-income families in the city starting next year,” Bautista said.

Members
of the Local Housing Board, city council, department heads and Quezon
City Press Club witnessed the simple rites held at the Bulwagang
Amoranto at the City Hall Complex.

With the passage of the SHT
ordinance, the local government can be able to generate additional
revenue of P185 million annually in the next five years which it can use
to push through with its pro-poor housing programs..... MORE

10/26/2011
Other than the leak at the
West Tower basement in Bangkal, Makati, 12 other leakages have been
discovered in Makati alone along the 117- kilometer pipeline of the
Lopez-owned First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC), said the lawyer of
the victims of the petroleum leakage. Lawyer Lorna Kapunan said the
information on the leaks was contained in a document sourced from the
FPIC, photocopies of which she distributed to reporters, at a Quezon
City forum also attended by Environment officials. At the same forum,
Kapunan said the Lopez scion herself, Gina Lopez, admitted that the
petroleum leak at the West Tower condominium was indeed an environmental
disaster. She made the admission prior to the launching of the 10
million signature drive to stop mining in Palawan, Kapunan said. The
Lopez group lied when it claimed that the FPIC pipeline was new when it
entered into a 25-year contract with Shell and Chevron UK in 1992 to
transport oil products from Bantangas to Pandacan, Manila, the lawyer
added. Contrary to the Lopezes’ claim, Kapunan said in Makati alone,
there are 13 areas found to have leaked and plugged, including Bangkal.
FPIC’s corroded and aging pipeline is like a calamity that could explode
anytime that could harm the people and destroy the environment from
Batangas to Manila:.... MORESource: The Daily Tribune

By Pat C. Santos 10/26/2011
The
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is bent on implementing
motorcycle lanes on major thoroughfares in the metropolis to include
the stretch of Edsa and C-5 Road despite a petition for temporary
restraining order (TRO) filed by numerous motorcycle riders.

MMDA
Chairman Francis Tolentino said the policy has the support of Metro
mayors as well as majority of the public, adding the agency welcomed the
petition before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) by the
Motorcycle Rights Association (MRA) calling for the court’s intervention
to stop what it said was the “unconstitutional” designation of a
motorcycle or blue lane along the 12.5-kilometer long Commonwealth
Avenue in Quezon City.

“We welcome the suit filed by the
motorcycle riders group but we are confident we have the support of the
local government units and the public,” Tolentino said. He explained
that “judicial process (like the petition for injunction) should have
only been used when there is imminent threat to lives and public
safety.”.... MORE